New
CSU campus welcomes first class
By Kristen Force
On-line Forty-Niner
As
the newest member of the California State
University system, Cal State Channel Islands
opened its doors this week to its first
class of students.
What
was once a satellite campus for Cal State
Northridge is now an independent university
with a unique atmosphere and large community
support.
“We
had students making a very long commute
each day to Northridge,” said Peggy Hinz,
CSUCI director of communications. “Ventura
County residents have been asking for a
closer campus for the past 30 years and
we are finally able to provide one.”
Located
on 670 acres of land just three miles from
the Pacific Ocean, the architecture focuses
on Spanish mission-style structures. The
most prominent building is the bell tower,
where most classes will be conducted for
the first semester.
The
university was only able to accept upper-division
transfer students for the first year, but
will allow freshmen in the fall of 2003.
“We
will not have any on-campus housing until
2004,” Hinz said. “Because of the lack of
available housing, limited enrollment is
required.”
New
housing developments are being built in
areas surrounding the school for students,
faculty and new community members. Revenue
from these home sales will go to further
development on the campus.
Two
thousand students are currently enrolled
for this semester and school statistics
project 4,000 students to be attending by
2007. The school plans to reach its maximum
enrollment of 15,000 students by 2025.
“We
already have thousands of applications for
next year,” Hinz said.
Situated
in the valley next to the Santa Monica Mountains
between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, the
school is in an area relatively unfamiliar
with college life.
“This
is a largely agricultural area and for many,
it will be the first opportunity for them
to go to college,” Hinz said. “This chance
has never been available before.”
Because
of the large need by students for a university
in Ventura County, surrounding schools do
not expect to be noticeably affected by
the increasing enrollment at CSUCI.
“We
don’t see it impacting us in a bad way at
all,” Carmen Chandler, director of news
and information at CSU Northridge said.
“Walking around campus, I don’t see any
change. The student population at Channel
Islands will come from that area.”
Although
not located on an island, the university
decided “Channel Islands” was the most appropriate
name for the school because of its proximity
and its ability to be claimed by many areas
at once, according to Hinz.
“This
is a name everyone in the area can relate
to,” she said. “It is not an exclusive area
and it can be embraced by all.”
A
special facility located on the campus is
an art studio where professional artists
can both live and work.
This
benefits both the artist and students by
providing a place for artists to work and
display their products, Hinz said.
Degrees
offered include art, computer science, environmental
science and resource management, mathematics,
biology, English, business and liberal studies.
A teaching credentials program is also available.
CSUCI
became the 23rd campus in the CSU system
in October 1999. Construction began in 2000,
although Hinz emphasized that the decision
to create the school really began 30 years
ago when residents began expressing their
desire for a university in the community.
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